Instead, Smith will try to remain focused on his last two races in the No. 78 car and finding a new ride for 2013.

Busch will replace Smith at Furniture Row starting in two weeks at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In a news conference Friday, Busch said the team had not met its potential while not specifically calling out Smith, who has driven for the team the past four years.

Smith, who at 23rd in the standings is two spots ahead of Busch, said it’s natural that a new driver would say things that show optimism.

“Whenever somebody moves, they’re going to talk up their situation,” Smith said Friday afternoon at Dover International Speedway. “Wherever I go, I’m going to expect to win. I expect to win right now, this team expects to win right now.

“The one thing I will say is Kurt wasn’t here for some of the struggles we had earlier this year and at the end of last year. He wasn’t around for that stuff. He’s coming in and seeing the work we put into it to get it back to where we thought it needed to be. That’s something you have to keep in mind.”

This year started with optimism for Smith and Furniture Row, which won a race together last year at Darlington Raceway. They struggled most of the season, however, resulting in crew chief Pete Rondeau being replaced by Todd Berrier.

Though the performance has improved recently, Smith still has just two top-10s this season.

“This year, there were a lot of occasions where I had to bite my tongue because I was frustrated about stuff and I know where my loyalty lies with these guys,” Smith said.

“I did that and you quietly go to work and you look at what you’re doing and you look at what aspects you’re struggling at and you try to fix it that way.”

Smith had hoped to help the team fix its problems, but is being released. It’s not the first time in his career that he’s looking for a ride.

The 29-year-old Smith drove a handful of Cup races for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2007 and then a full season for DEI in 2008 before being released. After joining Furniture Row in 2009, he moved to Denver last year as part of his commitment to the Colorado-based team. He purchased a house in the mountains with the idea that if he was released, it could be a vacation home, but he and his wife set up full-time residence there.

“It wasn’t a situation where we left everything we had in North Carolina and went out there,” Smith said. “We opted to move our lives out there knowing this sport is a constant roller-coaster. … I don’t regret any of that. I made that choice.

“I felt like I needed to do that to be closer to the team and to be a better part of the team and be a better member of the team. Now that’s not the situation anymore, we’ll just re-evaluate all that.”

Smith hopes to find a new home in Cup, where Busch’s Phoenix Racing team and Richard Petty Motorsports have openings. But he’d also consider competitive rides in the Nationwide Series—his former DEI crew chief Ryan Pemberton is at JR Motorsports.

“Any of those (openings) sound like possibilities and we’ll talk to anybody that has an open racecar and needs a racecar driver,” Smith said. “Anytime you go through something like this this late in the season, you’re going to be worried.

“Everyone we’ve talked to, there has been a really good reaction (to my ability). … You want to find the situation where you can be competitive and do the best you can week-in and week-out.”